John Abraham, whose latest production, Madras Cafe, was under attack from Tamil activists for allegedly showcasing LTTE cadres as terrorists, says he always wanted to break clutter with his films. And the courage to do so comes from his audience.
His debut production, Vicky Donor, dealt
with the sensitive subject of sperm donation in a lighter vein, and Madras Cafe is based on the Sri Lankan civil war. While one entertained, the latter is aimed at engaging.

"Very frankly, the courage to be a clutter-breaker comes from the audience. Vicky Donor was widely accepted. It really doesn't matter if some political organisations object to my (new) film. It's up to the audience to accept or reject the film," John said.

Madras Cafe, which features John as a RAW agent and Nargis Fakhri as a war correspondent, released Friday. Theatre owners in Tamil Nadu refrained from releasing either the Hindi or the Tamil version fearing protests from Tamil activists.

Isn't it a tough situation for a new producer like you? "I am new to the business. But if I've to be a clutter-breaker, I may have to make political statements. As a filmmaker, I must be allowed to have my say in a democratic nation," he said.